The leader of Boko Haram had on Monday in a video message showing the abducted girls for the first time since their abduction vowed that the girls would not be freed unless the Federal Government released operatives of the group being detained in various detention cells and prisons across the country for according to him, “fighting the cause Allah mandated them to fight.”
“ These are the girls abducted by us that the Nigerian government has been calling for their release. We won’t release them to you and you can’t take them away from us no matter how you try. We would only release them if you, the government release our brothers you have arrested and detained for 4 to 5 years now,” declared Shekau in the video message .
But the Senate president, in his reaction to Shekau’s brazen declaration pointedly told journalists in Beijing, China, that the Federal Government would never negotiate with terrorists of which Shekau is one, under whatever circumstance.
Mark said negotiating with terrorists as proposed by Shekau would not serve any good purpose .
He said: “Nigeria will not negotiate with terrorists under any circumstance because you dont negotiate with criminals which Boko Haram insurgents are.
“We are going to bring the girls back safe and sound for their parents without any negotiation with Boko Haram as every effort towards that which cannot be disclosed in the public is being made to rescue the girls.”
Mark, who added that he was worried about the abduction of the girls like other Nigerians, disclosed further that at the beginning of the insurgency in 2010 or thereabout, government never knew that they had international network with other terror groups of the same mission, which made government’s position then to be largely centered on dialogue since the insurgents were largely believed to be Nigerians.
According to him, with the situation of things now, government has no option than to militarily wipe out the insurgents from the country’s territory through ongoing collaborations with other countries that had faced or were facing similar challenges.
“We didn’t realize on time that they have international connections but now that we do, we are already mobilizing all the resources and weapons at our disposals along with needed expertise and intelligence sharing from other countries to frontally tackle the insurgents”, he said , just as he disclosed that if the situation arises that he was prepared to join other army reserves In the war against terrorism.
He however urged Nigerians to cooperate with both the government and the security agencies on the war by giving out vital information at their disposal on the insurgents and their sponsors.
“The cooperation the Nation needs from Nigerians now is for every one of them having vital information on the insurgents and their sponsors in and outside the country, to make it available to government through its relevant security outfits in the general interest of all”, he stressed.
For the over 60,000 Chinese nationals resident in Nigeria across the 36 states of the federation and Abuja, the Senate President assured them of their safety, saying the Nigerian government has put necessary machinery in place to guarantee their safety at all times and those of nationals of other countries.
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